


There is No Where Else You Should Be This Christmas

by HappyJuicyfruit



Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Christmas Fluff, Dead May Parker (Spider-Man), Gen, Misunderstandings, Precious Peter Parker, Sorry May, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:41:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27885424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HappyJuicyfruit/pseuds/HappyJuicyfruit
Summary: After May unexpectedly passes away, Tony thinks he’s doing a pretty good job of looking after Peter.That is, until he forgets to include Peter in on holiday plans.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 20
Kudos: 268





	There is No Where Else You Should Be This Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> An angsty Christmas fic with a fluffy ending. Enjoy <3

It was fast, unexpected, and heartbreaking. Peter reacted far better than Tony ever imagined he would. God knows when his own parents had died, he hadn’t reacted well… But this wasn’t his parents. This was May. 

Bright, confident, loving May. 

He didn’t know what they would do without her. Didn’t know how he was going to support the kid without May there to support all of them. 

But they would figure it out. They had to. 

\--

It was the first week of summer vacation when it happened. Peter had just graduated. They were at the lake house. Peter and Morgan were jumping off the dock. May was laughing, and then she was frowning, and before anyone could react, she’d put a hand on her head and collapsed. 

The doctor’s said it was an aneurysm. It could have happened at any time, there was nothing anyone could have done to stop it. 

Tony knew Peter blamed himself anyway. He was just grateful he and Pepper had been there when it happened - so they could tell him otherwise everytime the guilt raised its ugly head. 

Pepper had planned the funeral - or celebration of life - like they thought May would want. Everyone wore bright colours. Tony gave a speech. Their garden was full, nurses, old friends, May had been well loved. 

Peter sat between Ned and MJ the whole time, Morgan on his lap. He didn’t give a speech. 

\-- 

Peter stayed with them that summer. And then, despite Tony’s assurance that MIT wouldn’t mind him taking a year off, he went off to school in the fall. 

“We’re just a phone call away,” Pepper said, hugging him tight in his dorm. 

“I can get here in 20 minutes with the suit,” Tony said. 

Peter said he would be fine. But Tony saw him hugging the teddy Morgan had gifted him as they left. 

\-- 

Tony tried to check in as often as he could without smothering the kid. He thought a text every night was probably okay. He didn’t freak out when Peter didn’t reply either. A phone call every Sunday night. Picking him up for visits on long weekends. 

It was good. Peter was more quiet than usual, but that was to be expected. They were doing their best. It was good. 

Or at least, he thought it was.

\--

Thanksgiving should have been a warning sign. 

“I have a lot of exams in December,” Peter had said, “I can’t make it. You guys have fun without me.” 

So he and Pepper (mostly Pepper) had sent him a Thanksgiving care package and thought that was it. 

But then Peter stopped returning any texts. And his Sunday call went straight to voicemail for two weeks in a row. If Tony didn’t have Ned on instagram, who posted about ten ‘stories’ a day, most of them with Peter, he would be more worried. 

He finally got the kid on the phone halfway through December. 

“How’s it going with the exams?” Tony asked, trying to sound casual. He didn’t ask what he really wanted to - are you safe? Are you depressed? Do you need me? 

He didn’t want to scare the kid off. 

“Good,” Peter said. Tony could practically hear the shrug. “Only have two left, so that’s nice.” 

“Good, that’s good. When’s your last one?” 

“The 18th.” 

The 18th, end of next week. Good, he’d be home a week before Christmas. 

“Alright, what time do you want-” 

“Ned and I are actually heading out, so... “ 

“Right, I’m just wondering if you want me to -” 

“It’s okay, Tony, I can figure it out on my own.” 

Tony swallowed the sour taste in his mouth. “Right. You’re a big kid now, you can figure it all out. I guess I’ll see you-”

“Yeah, see you later,” Peter hung up the phone. 

Tony sighed, rubbing a hand over his forehead. To think he was actually  _ missing _ Peter’s high school years, when he’d been constantly afraid the kid was one wrong move from being killed by an enhanced mugger. 

At least the kid had talked to him then. 

\-- 

The 18th came and went, and Peter did not come home. 

“Are you sure it was the 18th?” Pepper asked. 

“Yeah,” Tony said, still looking out at the drive way. 

“And he didn’t want you to come pick him up?” 

“He said he would figure it out. He’s 18, it’s probably some weird independent thing. Trying to do everything on his own.” 

“He doesn’t know how to drive, Tony, how is he going to -” 

“Okay, okay, I’ll call him again!” 

Peter didn’t answer. Ned posted a picture of the two of them celebrating the end of exams. 

Pepper sighed, “maybe he meant he would come after the weekend?” 

“Yeah,” Tony moved away from the window, “maybe.” 

\-- 

On monday, a parcel arrived. A parcel from Peter. A parcel from Peter with three wrapped Christmas presents addressed to the three of them inside. 

“What the fuck?” 

“Tony, I think maybe you should go see Peter,” Pepper said, her brow furrowed. 

“I think you’re right,” he said, already tapping on his chest. 

It was time to figure out what was going on with the kid. 

\--

Tony had to take a breath when he reached Peter’s dorm room, stopping himself from bursting open the door and instead knocking. 

His anger spiked again though when Peter answered his door in pajamas, a completely unpacked room behind him. 

“Tony?” 

“Kid, what the fuck?” 

“What are you doing here?” 

“What are  _ you _ doing here?” 

Peter stepped back, confused, “I live here…?” 

Tony stormed into the room, “yeah, and Christmas is in four days. What exactly is your plan?” 

“Oh, well, I was going to watch some Christmas movies. I got some eggnog. There are a few other people staying, they’re from Europe, and the caf is having a Christmas dinner, so…” 

Tony frowned, looked at Peter’s confused face, looked around the room again, noting the Christmas lights Peter had set up around the window, and the dorky fake tree in the corner. 

All the anger drained out of him when he realized what was going on. “… Pete, if you don’t want to spend Christmas with us that’s fine, but at least spend it with Ned or something. Don’t spend it alone here.” 

Peter frowned, “I don’t want to like, impose on anyone.”

“Impose? You two used to live at each other’s houses.”

“Yeah but, that was different. At Christmas… you should be with family.”

“Okay,” Tony nodded, “come spend it with us then.”

“Tony, you don’t have to do that. You’ve been  _ more _ than generous, paying for MIT, and having me over every long weekend, but this isn’t some Sunday afternoon. This is  _ Christmas _ ! I know you probably want to spend it just the three of you. It’s Morgan’s first Christmas in school, I’m sure there’s like, a Christmas play or whatever-” 

“Peter, I’m going to say something that I clearly should have said months ago. If you hadn’t been 18 already after May… I would have  _ adopted _ you.”

Peter froze, “um.. What?” 

“You’re family, Peter, in every way that matters. We’re not doing Christmas without you.” He pulled the kid into a hug when his eyes started to get teary. “And by the way, Morgan’s Christmas concert is tomorrow and you’re coming.” 

“Okay,” Peter said, voice choked. 

“Good.”

—

On Christmas morning, Morgan woke them all bright and early. She jumped on their bed, and then went to drag Peter out of his. The four of them huddled around the Christmas tree, Tony and Pepper on the couch, Peter and Morgan on the floor. 

Morgan was practically bouncing with excitement. Peter was practically asleep. 

Morgan got dolls, dresses, a ukulele, way too many toys, and way too much chocolate. 

Peter got clothes, board games, a Star Wars lego set, and- 

“Tony, are these plane tickets? I can’t accept this!” 

“What? You said you were getting into the Lord of The Rings.” 

“So you got me a trip to New Zealand?” 

“I thought it would be fun to see those hobbit houses. Besides, those were just for show, we’re going to be taking the private jet.” 

“... did you buy  _ real _ plane tickets for  _ show _ ?!” 

Okay, so maybe Peter wasn’t used to being part of the family yet. Maybe there was a May shaped hole that they all stepped around until they made a toast for her at dinner. 

But, as Tony watched his two kids snuggle up with hot chocolate by the fire on Christmas night, he thought it was pretty damn close to perfect. 

\-- 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it! Let me know what you think with a kudos and comment! :)


End file.
